Most uninteresting Metra line?

I don't think it would be a stretch to say that the BNSF racetrack is probably the most popular Metra line among most railfans in general, and on this forum in particular. Can't really argue with that, the route has plenty of traffic and a variety of locomotives to keep things interesting. But OTOH, which Metra routes are the most boring? Some say Milw-West, due to its route primarily through industrial corridors, but I'd like to nominate Metra Electric's South Chicago branch as the most boring line to ride on Metra's system. It does have a lot of history true (a very underrated aspect, IMO), and while the area on 71st St. between Stony Island and South Shore is slowly changing for the better, the ride south of 79th St. tends to get a bit more depressing as it passes through a blighted portion of Chicago's SE side. To be honest, the entire branch doesn't really feel like a commuter line... it strikes me as more like light rail on steroids.

Any other candidates?

As much as i hate to say it i find my own line, the UP-W to be the worst from almost every perspective. Express trains are slow, there isnt engough varity of metra's to hold my intrest. Midday trains run late. Rushhours are unspectacular. The area between River Forest and the east side of Elmhurst is just blah. The hold out doesnt allow you to see more then one train in the stations at once. I find the md-w line to be a pretty intresting line. Especially the in city portion. The Rock Island Beverly branch and the BNSF are my favorite lines and UP-N and NW are tied for third

I would agree with MetraRy's nomination of the Union Pacific West Line. Boring from both a rider's and a photographer's perspective.

MetraRy wrote:As much as i hate to say it i find my own line, the UP-W to be the worst from almost every perspective. Express trains are slow ... Midday trains run late. Rushhours are unspectacular. ... The hold out doesnt allow you to see more then one train in the stations at once. I find the md-w line to be a pretty intresting line. Especially the in city portion.

As a daily Milw-W rider, I can tell you that all of the above situations also hold true here. (Only place where you can see multiple trains in the station is Western Ave.) Going through tower A-5 is maddeningly slow when your train is elected to switch tracks - it feels like any time savings you got by expressing through a bunch of "B" stations is tossed right out the window. And then, there are certain conductors who ignore the "flag stop" designation and just have the train stop every time regardless of anyone trying to board or alight. Oh yeah, and the Elmwood Park crossing speed restriction is great fun. The only thing I can say about this line is that the scenery is decent, but only if you're like me and you are interested by old buildings, long since removed railroad footprints, etc.

This has to be the most interesting topic I've seen in a while.

I'm going to disagree with an above poster - I've taken the RI-branch a few times before, and I find it like riding a really slow L train. The train stops frequently and due to it's diesel power, cannot accelerate to any decent speeds. I've said it before, RI line needs to be electrified, if only LaSalle-Vermont (and branch only).

As far as the most interesting ride, HC is a rocketship, CSS always presents something new, and you can't forget the forlorn ME for an amusing ride on Metra's forgotten (and one of the bussiest) lines.

While yes the beverly branch is really slow I was factoring all accounts in. The HC, while it does have some high speed running but the trip between Chicago and Brighton is horrible. The L actually pass the train up. It is rather boring to me. The stations and most of the scenary is lacking, and it just doesnt feel like a commuter line to me. Plus, with only 6 trains a day it makes it really hard to ride. The CSS is intresting, but i am unsure if it can actually be considered a Metra operation. Maybe the area up to where hegwisch is can be a considered a metra line. I still stand by and say UP-W is one of the worst.

Before my job moved close to home, I was a regular commuter on the RI, and I flat-out hated the off-peak trips down the Beverly branch, as they added an extra 20 minutes to the already long trip. On a Saturday or Sunday, it was far faster to drive downtown (though the Ryan reconstruction may change that).

An electrified Rock Island would be very interesting - but it'll never happen.

I rode a UP-W express train once (outbound train #57) and it was a slow ride, especially between Maywood and Elmburst. If the proposed upgrades/improvements to the UP-W comes to fruction, the line could get more interesting than it is now. The heavy freight traffic could make up for the lack of Metra variety.

MetraBNSF wrote:I rode a UP-W express train once (outbound train #57) and it was a slow ride, especially between Maywood and Elmburst. If the proposed upgrades/improvements to the UP-W comes to fruction, the line could get more interesting than it is now. The heavy freight traffic could make up for the lack of Metra variety.

A lot of the express trains on UP-W get spiked by cross traffic at A-2, which can significantly slow down the ride, especially on the morning inbound trains. Aside from that though, the best PM express train to ride on that route is the #47 to Elburn, which runs non-stop from OTC to Wheaton, that's about the only express train that at least tries to act like one. However, the AM express trains are a little better in terms of overall train speed, with #22 being the best of the lot, making only six stops between Elburn and OTC, and is basically an express from Glen Ellyn onward.

I think part of the reason why this route seems boring to many is because of dull sameness of the Metra equipment, just gallery bilevels pulled by F40PH's, and nothing else, although the old Pullman cars in RTA livery would put in an appearance every once in a while to break up the monotony. As for the route itself, the ride west of Geneva is a little more rural and undeveloped, and as such, I think it adds a relaxing quality to this route. And as for photo oppurtunities, the Peck Rd overpass in Kane county provides for some great shots of both Metra and UP freights, plus there are several additional photo angles available along nearby Keslinger Rd. Granted, this line may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to enjoy the quiet and peaceful character of this route's western end at LaFox and Elburn route now, before the encroaching retail and residential development completely dots the landscape, and its rural charm is lost to progress...

yep train 57 is a real slow ride, but train 55 is even worse. It literally doesnt break 25mph between Maywood and Elmhurst. The only speed it gets before Elmhurst is Kedize to Oak Park. Another thing I do not understand about the line is the need for Express trains to stop at Oak Park when a local is about 15 minutes behind. Sure, it is great for Oak Park but it wrences everyones commute from Elmhurst west. I really think that a better schedule could be made with the current plant but for some reason its never been explored. And I do agree from a commuter stand point the beverly branch stinks, but from a railfan point of view it has a lot to offer, at least in my opinion.

In defense of the Milw-West, it improves greatly west of Franklin Park. Tooling alongside Bensenville Yard is interesting, with O'Hare on the other side.

While the run east of Franklin Park can be dreary, there are a few high points, such as; crossing the Des Plaines river, the tiger in its cage beween River Grove and Elmwood Park, the crossing at Grand Ave. in Elmwood Park to see how many disfunctional humans are sitting on the wrong side of the crossing gates with no police present ever, the pups playing outside at the doggie day care place near Hermosa and approaching Western Ave., with the Western Yard on one side and California Yard on the other.

F40CFan wrote:...the crossing at Grand Ave. in Elmwood Park to see how many disfunctional humans are sitting on the wrong side of the crossing gates with no police present ever

Kinda funny how that crossing has become a local landmark, as one of the few places where local ordinance gone out of its way to prevent idiots from putting the theory of evolution in effect.

byte wrote:Kinda funny how that crossing has become a local landmark, as one of the few places where local ordinance gone out of its way to prevent idiots from putting the theory of evolution in effect.

There was a truck on the wrong side of the gates yesterday (4/17/2006) morning. He had to turn his truck diagnal (parallel to the tracks) to aviod getting hit. And the police station is right across the street. If I were an Elmwood Park cop, I'd know were to sit and get my monthly quota of tickets in a couple of days.

F40CFan wrote:There was a truck on the wrong side of the gates yesterday (4/17/2006) morning. He had to turn his truck diagnal (parallel to the tracks) to aviod getting hit. And the police station is right across the street. If I were an Elmwood Park cop, I'd know were to sit and get my monthly quota of tickets in a couple of days.

Does anyone really know just how serious the Elmwood Park police are about cracking down on the violators? Based on what I've read, there doesn't appear to be any significant increase in the overall number of tickets issued since last November's accident. I'm hesitant to attribute this to increased driver awareness, although anything's possible, I guess. But from my perspective, it appears that perhaps the cops simply believe the speed restriction for the trains is supposed to be enough...

I have yet to observe a police officer, or anyone else, patrolling the crossing.

I do like passing by the Doggie Day Care place when they have the dogs out in the morning. I have to crack a slight smile even as I feel the train begin slowing down to traverse the 10mph switch ahead.